Smallish Tank That Can Fit Bigger Fish?

Wasn't really sure where to put this!

As you all know I've been trying to convince my partner that a new fish tank would be a great idea!  He currently remains unconvinced. He doesn't really think much of my little endlers, saying they're too small, and he wants bigger fish. So I was thinking if I can identify a smallish tank that could go in my lounge on the stand we used to use for our current tank, and which can fit some bigger fish in, he might be convinced! I'm not sure yet whether I would move my endlers to the bigger tank and get some fish I've been eyeing up for a while in my smaller tank, or just leave them in their current home that they've been happy in for a year or so now!

When we were looking at fish I know he liked penguin tetras, but generally the bigger and prettier the fish the better! I also have very high Ph and hard water so choices are limited by that too.

So can anyone think of a tank that would still be small enough to fit (around the size of the larger fluval edge or slightly bigger) and any fish that may tempt him!?

not sure how they would match up to your water conditions but i had a drive out to a big fish shop yesterday and saw some peacock goby,s they was a very nice looking fish and the profile here says it gets to about 6cm but i guess your hard water and high ph would cause a problem for these  

You could do the RO mix like me. If you had, say, 16º GH water then if you did a 2 parts tap to 1 part RO water you would end up with 10º GH, which is suitable for virtually all fish except a few of the more fussy ones. If you can collect rainwater then you could use this.

So for this example, a 50litre tank with a 10litre (20%) water change each week would use 3⅓ litres of RO and so cost approx 50p per week..... or nothing if you collect rainwater.

Worth thinking about, perhaps??

What fish do you have in your tank again Colin?

I've got Five-band barbs, Cherry barbs, Lemon tetras, and Neon tetras.

They are lovely fish Resa! I shall investigate! And Colin that is definitely a good choice of fish I would be happy with similar ones!

I have around 22 inches of stand space I could reasonably use I think Sue

I second the Dwarf Rainbow suggestion - lovely fish  although a 22 inch tank is perhaps on the small side for them though  as they are very active and like good swimming space.

Though I could use slightly more I would be more concerned about the stand. It's not a purpose built stand but a long short stand I bought for my tank originally and I wouldn't put a tank too heavy on it because of that

Have you looked at whether you could get the stand reinforced in some way? If its a simply wood frame it should be relatively easy to add some extra struts/bracing.

I see where you're coming from. Though I do think weight wise it would be fine for a tank around the size you say Sue. It used to house my current tank and I would happily sit on it without concerns.  I wouldn't want to it as it goes well with everything else and I bought it especially for the old tank.

Perhaps this is all futile anyway as my partner is still putting his foot down! I was hoping if I could show him the fish we could have and how easily it would fit he'd be convinced ha.

The other issue with the Location is the radiator... We never really use our hearing but I have no idea how to turn off that radiator!

The other issue with the Location is the radiator... We never really use our hearing but I have no idea how to turn off that radiator!

The radiator may not be a problem.  Does your tank overheat? Is the heating on? If the answer to either of these questions is "No", you don't have an issue. It's only if your tank overheats and the heating is on that you have an issue. In this case, there is, or should be, a valve at each end of the radiator. One of them will require tools to alter, the other one will just turn like a tap. Turn it as far as it will go and your radiator is off.

Or you could try shouting at it!

Overall though do you think the stand would be ok for a 70l tank?

I'm sorry, I couldn't possibly give you an idea. I haven't seen it.

Both of us could sit on the stand without any problems I guess our combined weight would be around 20 Stone whatever that is in KG! I think it would be fine once I work out how to turn that radiator off (not that that's a concern during summer anyway!). Though of course the biggest issue is still convincing my partner haha. 

I need to do some reading about using RO water to change Ph and hardness though as I imagine it could be complicated getting the amounts right to keep it stable